A pickup mechanism may be fitted to a disc unit by way of a vibration isolation mechanism such as a damper that is configured to reduce the transmission of vibration to the disc unit. For example, a first patent document, i.e. JP 11-16336 A discloses a damper provided on a strut in which the damper is configured to absorb lengthwise vibrations generated in the strut and otherwise transmitted to a chassis. Further, a second patent document, i.e. JP 2000-291739 A discloses a vibration isolating support unit provided with a damper having a hollow expansion portion and a holding portion configured to couple to the side of a chassis, the support unit further provided with a supporting body configured for insertion into the damper for positioning of the damper with respect to the chassis. Still further, a third patent document, i.e. JP 10-47401 A discloses a vibration isolation unit including a hollow rubber damper having a fitting portion provided between an upper extension portion and a lower extension portion and further having a substantially gourd-shaped cross section, the unit further including a supporting shaft arranged lengthwise on an optical disc drive unit body, the support shaft configured to engage with and support the upper and lower extension portions of the rubber damper.
However, the device according to the first patent document requires a spring and a rubber member within the damper mechanism and fixed by screws, increasing the number of parts in the damper mechanism and potentially increasing costs as well as leading to difficulties in assembly. Further, the mechanism according to the second and third patent documents may reduce the number of parts by, for example, forming the damper from rubber and fitting the chassis to the damper directly, the second and third patent documents both include a supporting shaft in addition to the damper. In addition, the second patent document describes a distinct collar coupled to the supporting body for the purpose of clamping and supporting the damper while the third patent document describes a separate pressing member configured to compress the damper. Accordingly, existing damper mechanisms tend to be both complex and expensive.